Monday, August 15, 2016

Audio Reflections: A New Form of Response

I’ve been thinking a lot about technology, lately.I was marveling at how closely it has become
attached to me, as a part of my life.What brought this on was a recent trip to the grocery store.During the short, five-minute ride to the
store to pick up a few things, I glanced down at my cup holder and realized
that I didn’t have my phone with me.

Now, I’m not someone who I would define as “attached to my
phone.”I often misplace it or forget to
take it out of my purse of backpack for hours on end, suddenly alert to a
muffled ringing that I then have to attempt to locate.However, I’ll be the first to admit than in
any awkward social situation (waiting rooms, bus stops, lines, hallways,
basically any time where I am completely surrounded by strangers), I often take
it out and stare at its blank screen, pretending I have something important to
do with it so that I don’t have to interact with others.Although, I really shouldn’t worry, because
the strangers around me are doing the exact same thing, furiously typing or
swiping their way across their glossy screens, eyes glazed over as they shuffle
in place, waiting for their first chance to bolt. Regardless, I actually found myself contemplating
whether or not I should turn around and get my phone before continuing on my
way.

Reflecting on this, it has become ever more obvious how much
technology has not only encapsulated our lives, but have provided us with ways
in which to express ourselves in new and interesting ways.Just ask those three high school girls in the
food court, not talking to each other, but instead spending their afternoon
snapping selfies or Snapchat videos and posting them #atthemallwithmybesties.

So, it’s no wonder that educators everywhere are
brainstorming for an answer to the question, “How can I use technology in my
classroom?”Don’t get me wrong, there is
tons of literature out there explaining different tools and tricks and gadgets
to get your students involved with, some of which I have already talked about
earlier this year.But technology
changes every day and with that prompts another step up from educators to again
incorporate technology in new and interesting ways.

That’s why I think the article I stumbled across on the
Faculty Focus website is pure gold.This
article, written by Karen Sheriff LeVan and Marissa E. King focuses on how best
to utilize audio as a means of student reflection in your courses.LeVan and King bring out prominent ideas of
what it would be like for students to be able to freely discuss their
reflections without the worries that accompany writing.Rather than focusing on comma placement,
spelling, and other grammatical features of their work, they’ll be able to
spend more time focusing on iterating their spoken content.Really, a genius idea.